Former no. 10 spin doctor Andy Coulson has been ordered to pay part of the costs of his phone hacking trial.
Coulson, 46, formerly of Forest Hill, has been ordered to pay £150,000 in costs after being found guilty of being involved of hacking phones while editor of News of the World (NotW).
The prosecution applied for the disgraced former editor to pay £750,000 costs, but his legal team argued that no more than £375,000 would be fair.
The cost of last year’s nine month trial was £1.7 million, which saw the father-of-three handed an 18 month prison sentence.
He served less than five months behind bars before being released.
MORE TOP STORIES After taking into account his financial position, Mr Justice Saunders ordered Coulson to pay £150,000 over three years.
He noted Coulson’s ability to find work and his reputation had been hampered by his imprisonment.
But he said: "Many talented people have gone on from criminal convictions to earn a good living and, in the normal course of events, I would expect Mr Coulson to do that.
"In my judgment it is likely that Mr Coulson will be able to re-establish himself and pay a substantial order for costs if given time to pay."
Coulson recently sold his home in Forest Hill and moved to Kent.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here